“We did lose cotton in some fields,” said Mark Brown, Lubbock County Agrilife Extension agent. “Once it’s on the ground, there’s virtually no way to retrieve that in the harvesting process; so that just is a loss.”

Brown said he talked to several producers throughout the county Wednesday afternoon who said fields that received more irrigation were less likely to have been damaged than those that received less.

Brown said as of last week, Lubbock County was about 25 percent harvested, meaning three-quarters of the county’s cotton was still on the stalk when the haboob hit.

Mary Jane Buerkle at Plains Cotton Growers said because it was dry, any dirt that might have gotten on modules would be taken care of by the gin and wouldn’t have a lasting effect.

Had there been moisture in the storm, cotton quality could have been affected, she said.

“It could have been a lot more damaging, but the fact that it was just wind actually made things a little bit better,” Buerkle said.

The windstorm had no effect on sorghum, according to Jennifer Blackburn at National Sorghum Producers.

“We really haven’t heard anything in terms of that having a direct impact on sorghum,” Blackburn said.